Confused and Alone
by housecrazed1
Summary: When Ryan decides enough is enough he runs off to Chino. When he's there he sees someone he didn't think he'd ever see again. Ryan and the Cohen's are in for one hell of a ride.
1. unexpected

Disclaimer: I don't own the OC or any of its characters. tear

Ryan Atwood was being abandoned once again. He had just gotten back from the bus stop trying to stop Sadie. He arrived just as her bus was pulling away. One fucking minute too late. First his mom left him leaving him nothing but a note. The second time (not even 4 months after the first time) not only did she leave him with virtual strangers but she also embarrassed him in front of the whole Newport community. Getting drunk at a fancy party was NOT what you do in Newport. But obviously Dawn wasn't about to start changing her lifestyle for her own son. She said he was the good one. If this was true why was he getting left behind all the time? Why couldn't people be happy with him for more then a year? And now Sadie, who he thought he had a pretty decent relationship with, was just gonna up and leave him? Just like that? Not even a fucking goodbye? Well, he thought to himself, at least I'm used to it. This is what was going through his head as he sat on one of the lawn chairs by the pool when Seth came out, sat on the chair next to Ryan and started his incessant babbling about something Ryan didn't give a fuck about.

"You know, I think this is for the best man…… maybe it's like some force from above that isn't gonna let you be happy in a relationship until it's THE girl. You know what I mean? Cuz, listen to this……fate man, me and summer? Didn't think we'd pull through all those rough patches did'ya? But we did and now we're living happily ever after…….well, you know, maybe not happily ever after per se but definitely happy enough to not break up again and for now I'll take that cuz now its just me and her nothing to get in the way, no nothing just me and Su…..where you going dude?"

Ryan had gotten up halfway through Seth's rambling without the brunette boy even noticing.

"I don't wanna hear about you and summer right now okay? Just….. leave me alone for now and I'll talk to you in the morning about whatever." He ran a hand through his hair and Seth stood up and walked over to his friend.

"Ry, you okay? I know you're not the most talkative guy but usually you're up to at least 6 and a half minutes of my talks……that wasn't even 3 minutes…..less then half of your usual time span. You can tell me man. Let it all out. Unburden your soul. Let me heal your pain. Let it alllllll out dude, i'm right here and I'll take wha..."

"Seth…"

"No seriously man come on. I'll listen. Chalk full o' quiet right here." Seth slid a hand across his lips imitating a zipper.

Ryan sighed and then sat down and put his head in his hands. "I don't wanna drag you into my problems. I'm fine, really. Just a little bummed about Sadie leaving."

Seth sat down next to Ryan. "Ah, I should have guessed. With you it's always trouble with the ladies. Well i'm here my friend. All ears right now."

"I don't wanna talk about this. Okay Seth? Just seriously leave it alone." Ryan got up and started walking towards the pool house. Just as Seth was about to get up and follow Ryan into the pool house, make him talk, tie him up to a chair and threat to send him up to the top of the C.N. tower if he didn't talk, or something to make Ryan let loose when the door slammed shut right in his face so hard the glass shook in its pane.

"Ooookkkaaaayy then, uh, k, well Ryan…" Seth started knocking on the window now seriously concerned about his best friend/brother. It wasn't like Ryan to slam doors. Especially not when someone was in the middle of talking to him.

The door suddenly flew open and Ryan flew out shoving past Seth. Ryan was already inside the main house before Seth registered that Ryan was gone. He decided to leave it alone for now. Something major was obviously pissing Ryan off and Seth didn't want to get in the way of a pissed off Ryan.

Sandy came running out towards Seth followed by a worried looking Kirsten.

"Seth, what the hell was that? What did you say to Ryan to make him leave the house?" Sandy said as he tied his robe up around his body. It was the middle of the night and it was cold. Especially for Southern California.

"Seth, honey, what was that all about?" Kirsten said moving up to Seth and holding him by his shoulders, " one minute he was fine and the next I hear doors slamming, and tires squealing and when I look outside I see the Range Rover speeding down the drive way."

"I don't know but somethig was obviously bugging him. I came out here to try and talk to him and I guess I sort of got caught up in the story I was telling and then he stormed off."

"I don't feel comfortable with him out alone at this time. It's the middle of the night and he was going WAY over the speed limit. Seth, your mother and I are going to go look out for him. Could you stay here so when he comes back you can call us?"

Seth noticed how his dad had said when and not if Ryan returned. Instead of pointing this out he just nodded his head and took out his cell phone to turn it on.

"Also Seth, if he calls you I want you to call us right away. Do you understand?" Sandy asked looking at Seth.

"Yeah sure dad. But you guys better go if you wanna find him before he gets to much time to get ahead."

"We'll see you later sweetie. I'm sure he's not far." Kirsten said trying to comfort her son and kissing him on the cheek before following sandy out to the BMW.

Ryan drove past the sign indicating that he was leaving Newport and entering his old hometown going 120 in a 90 zone. He didn't care if he was being reckless or stupid in his driving. He needed to see someone he would trust his life with. Someone he knew would never abandon him. Someone who would always be there for him when he needed comfort the most. And now, at a time when he needed reassuring that he was important and loved by good people, he needed this person more then ever. Sadie had been the last straw. She had been the one to finally make him realize that no one appeared to want him. Sure, he understood that Lindsay wanted to be with her mom and that Sadie didn't even live in Newport but it still hurt to see all the people he cared about leave him. Sure, he still had the Cohen's but he also needed more then them. He couldn't vent to Sandy or Kirsten without having them smother him with their worry and he could hardly get a word in edgewise with Seth anyways. This is why Ryan was rushing through the streets of Chino on his way to the Chino Penitentiary to visit his brother, Trey. Trey had always been there for Ryan and he was the first person Ryan would go to for help when they were kids. Even thought he hadn't seen his brother in a while he knew that Trey would be happy to see him. They were brothers. They had been through hell and back together never leaving the others side. When he was bout 3 miles away from the street that he would turn onto to get to the jail he saw something he wished he would never see.

On the corner of the road, wearing a tight, extremely short micro mini along with a shirt that was cut so low it left hardly anything to the imagination at all and topping off the outfit with knee length black stiletto boots that went up to her knees, was Theresa. Ryan pulled over shocked at what he was seeing. Theresa had slept with men for money when she was around 15 to earn some money for her mother who had gotten laid off at work. Eva never found out because Theresa knew that if she did she would have a heart attack. Ryan was the only person that Theresa had trusted enough to tell. He had begged her to stop but she convinced him that once she got the money she needed she would stop. And on top of that hadn't she said she'd be moving to Atlanta? Ryan was starting to get pissed off that she had lied to him and decided to find out what was going on for himself. He pulled up to the corner Theresa was on with the tinted windows up blocking his face from people outside. Theresa came sauntering over and flirtatiously leaned against the car as Ryan lowered the window. As soon as she saw who it was she immediately got off the car and started walking away in a rush.

"Theresa! Theresa, wait!" Ryan said trying to get her to stop. She kept walking. "Will you at least look at me!" Ryan yelled grabbing Theresa's arm and forcefully turning her around so she was forced to look at him.

It was obvious she was embarrassed to get caught in the state she was in by one of the last people she'd ever want to find out about this. She crossed her arms over her chest and crossed her legs trying to hide herself from Ryan's judging eyes.

"Theresa, what the hell are you doing? I thought you were over this. I thought you moved to Atlanta!" Ryan was yelling by the time he finished.

"Ryan, calm down. I was going to go to Atlanta but then I ran out of money. And well…" the dark girl started stammering with tears visible in her deep chocolate eyes.

"And what?" Ryan demanded, "You decide to sleep with strangers instead of actually finding a job? You could have called me. You know I'd be over as soon as I could to help you." Ryan said the last part in a calm voice and placed a hand on her arm, starting to rub up and down in an attempt to calm her down.

"I know its wrong but it's the only thing I could think of."

"You weren't thinking at all. Come on. I'll take you home. Just get into the front and just let me do the rest, okay? I'm gonna get you home and I wont tell Eva what you've been doing as long as you promise to stop. Please. For me." He said leading her towards the Range Rover.

"I'll stop, I pro…"

The sound of a siren stopped her halfway through as a police car sped over to them.

"Stay where you are!" one of the cops yelled getting out of the car. "You're coming with me. You're under arrest."

All thoughts of Trey, the Cohen's, and where he was going rushed out of his head as he wondered what the hell he was being arrested for.

Please review. Hope it didn't suck too much. Just let me know if I should keep going or just stop this story right now.

Next chapter find out why Ryan was arrested, what's going on with the Cohen's and maybe even see a little Trey.


	2. please review!

Please review!

The more reviews I get the more I'll post. And if you review I'll know if you want me to continue so pleeeeaaasseeee review! Even if you don't like it please review anyways!

Thanks

Xo chinoryan


	3. troubling times

Seth had started pacing about 2 minutes after his parents left and he hadn't stopped since. It wasn't like Ryan to blow up and leave without giving an explanation. He knew there must be more to his sudden outburst then just Sadie. Yeah, she was a nice girl and everything but he had only known her for a few weeks and she wasn't anything special. No, this had to be bigger. Seth was getting used to the sound of undisturbed silence so when the phone rang its shrill sound he jumped. Once he recovered from his slight shock he answered the phone that had been in his hand since his parents left.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Cohen?"

Seth knew he should have said no but if this had anything to do with Ryan he wasn't going to sit around and wait for his parents to call him. If they wanted to find Ryan soon all three of them had to be on the lookout. Seth cleared his throat before responding.

"Yes? May I ask who this is?" Seth said in an unnaturally low voice.

". My name is Officer Henry Haddix. I'm sorry to be calling you so late but tonight we brought in a Ryan Atwood. He says he's under your custody. I found him on the corner with a young prostitute." Seth was surprised. It was not like Ryan to go picking up hookers. "We had to take him in because the girl who he was with was found with 6 ounces of cocaine on her and we have reason to believe that Mr. Atwood was involved in the dealing of it."

"No, definitely not. You've got the wrong guy. If there was a guy at all. What i'm hearing is that the only reason you took him in was because he was with the girl. This is crazy. I want him out." Seth said trying to keep his anger in check, reminding himself that this officer thought he was his dad.

"Even if he wasn't involved in the drugs he was still trying to pick up a prostitute which is illegal in this country. So if he does get dropped of the drug charges he'll still be faced with trying to pick up a prostitute. Who may I add is underage as well." Seth didn't expect Ryan to have gotten into this much trouble. He thought maybe he'd go to the beach, vent a bit, maybe punch a water polo player, and be back by morning. No, this was way more then what he was prepared for.

"When can my family and I see him?"

"I don't know all the details but what I do know I that Mr. Atwood will be staying at least the night in Chino Penitentiary. And unless you find a very good lawyer it might be even up to a few months. And that's if you get lucky," Officer Addax replied in a voice that made Seth wonder just how much these cops liked taking in kids every day.

"Thank you for calling," Seth said bitterly. Jesus buddy, he thought as he dialed his dads cell, what the hell did you get yourself into.

Ryan hated the feel of the orange jump suits the guards made the inmates wear. Not only were they uncomfortable and ugly but they also reminded him of what a failure he was. He still didn't know what he was doing in here. He figured the cops would have called Sandy to inform him but he had now been here for more then 3 hours. More than enough time to get to Chino from Newport. What if he had just blown his last chance with the Cohen's? He considered them his family but he never showed his gratitude and love to them. What if they didn't love him as much as he thought they did? He vowed that if he got out of here and the Cohen's still wanted him in their house he'd say I love you a whole lot more to them. The last thing he needed was for them to think he was ungrateful for all they've done for him. He picked at the sleeve of his jumpsuit. This was a habit he had picked up his first time in lockup. Whenevr he was nervous he'd start doing it without even noticing. Trey was the first one to point it out to him. Trey. That reminded him of why he was here. All he had wanted was to see his big brother again and somehow he'd ended up back in juvie. Juvie. Shit. Ryan had forgotten that he was considered an adult now. He put his head in his hands and balled his hands into fists. Fuck, he thought to himself, I'll probably be moved into a real jail in the morning. Where the hell is Sandy? He thought before lying down and realizing how exhausted he was. He let sleep overtake him as a comforting black blanket covered him somehow making him believe that when he woke up he'd be back in the pool house with Seth hovering over him making him get up.

Sandy and Kirsten were checking off the places they had looked when Sandy's ring tone started blaring Grease Lightning. Kirsten rolled her eyes at his ring tone but decided now was not the time to point it out.

Sandy answered the phone quickly almost dropping it a few times in the process.

"Seth? Is that you? Where's Ryan? Did he call? Is he back? Whe.."

"Dad, Ryan's not here. But, uh, I just got a call from the Chino Penitentiary and they said Ryan's there. They seem to think that he was involved in dealing some cocaine with some prostitute. But dad, don't believe it. Ryan hates drugs. He doesn't go near them. He would nev…."

"We're coming to pick you up now. Be ready when we get there. You can miss school tomorrow, this is important," Sandy said interrupting his son halfway through his explanation. He had already hung up before Seth had the chance to answer. Kirsten looked at him questioningly as he snapped his phone shut and quickly pulled out again.

"Sandy, is Ryan home?" she asked, praying that the answer was yes.

"No, he's not," Sandy sighed. "Seth told me that a police officer called the house. Ryan's been accused of dealing drugs. With a prostitute."

"Ryan wouldn't do that," Kirsten replied immediately. "There's no way it was Ryan."

"Kirsten, I don't think he did it either but the officers don't know what a good kid he is. To them he's just another punk kid selling drugs on the street for some extra cash. It's gonna be hard getting Ryan out this time. The only way he'll be able to get out will be if there was a witness and they saw him and he wasn't in possession of the cocaine. Or if the girl wants to confess it was all her then he'd be able to go as well."

"Well, that's good then. The girl will confess and then we can take Ryan home and forget about this," Kirsten said trying to find a bright side in this.

"I highly doubt the girl will confess to it all. If she does she'll be up to an even longer sentence. And even if she does confess we still have work to do. With Ryan's history any offense of his is put into his criminal record. Even if he's innocent it will be recorded. And knowing Ryan he's gonna feel awfully guilt about this. He's going to feel like he's let us down. He needs all the support he can get from us."

The rest of the drive was silent except for Kirsten's quiet sobs. She loved Ryan as her own son and she hated to see any members of her family in trouble.

When his parents showed up Seth was already sitting on the porch. As soon as he saw their car pulling up he got up and started jogging over to the car. Without a word he opened the door and climbed into the backseat. The three of them drove on in silence. There was no way Ryan was going to stay in jail for something he didn't even do. At least they hoped not.


	4. lies

I wanted to point out that I am from Canada so if the speeds I was saying in the first chapter seemed a little crazy it's a normal speed for a Canadian highway. Yes, I know the OC isn't in Canada but I didn't think about that. So thanks to _Rachel Carter McKenzie _for pointing that out to me. Sorry for the confusion it may have caused.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the OC.

"Ryan Atwood. You have a visitor in the waiting room. Get off your ass, visiting hours are almost over." A guard clanged his baton against the cold metal bars waking Ryan from his restless slumber.

Ryan sighed. He knew that today was the day he'd be transferred over to the adult prison. And he wasn't looking forward to that. His brother had told him stories about when he was in lock-up and just hearing the stories sent chills up his spine. Before standing up and walking to the entrance to the visitor's area he sent a prayer up to God that it would be Sandy to get him out of this hell hole. Luck must have been on his side that day because what he saw was enough to send tears to his eyes. All three Cohen's were sitting there waiting for him. As soon as he got in the room they all stood up and ran over to him and enveloped him in a huge hug. Once Ryan's first sense of euphoria passed he noticed their expressions. Seth seemed to be a mix of relief and worry. Kirsten seemed to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Ryan remembered the first time she had come to see him in juvie and it reminded him of why she would be freaked out. Sandy looked stressed to the max but otherwise he had a sense of calm about him. Ryan figured it was probably because he dealt with places like these all the time. Getting kids like Ryan out and trying to set them on the right path in life. Ryan knew he'd be in trouble for taking the car without asking and then running away and getting arrested but all that was pushed to the farthest corner in his brain.

"Sandy, why am I in here? They wouldn't tell me anything,"

"That girl you were trying to pick up? She had 6 ounces of cocaine on her and for some reason the cops think that you were involved in the dealing of it. Don't worry about a thing though, kid. We're gonna get you outta here." Ryan was thankful that Sandy wasn't being too forward with the information but he wanted to know what could happen to him. He hated being treated like a child that wouldn't be able to handle the truth.

"K, well I think you need to know the full story. I wasn't trying to _pick up _that girl. She wa…" Ryan was interrupted halfway through his explanation by Sandy.

"Well, then what the hell were you trying to do? Did you decide you wanted to bring her home with you? I know you have some sort of white knight thing going on where you have to save _everybody_," Ryan noted how Sandy emphasized the word everybody, "but you have got to think of yourself too. Do you have any idea of what could happen? You are not being charged for one offense but two, which are both very serious I might add. I'm going to work my ass off to get out of here but I don't know how soon I can do that. You screwed up Ryan. Even if you didn't mean to."

"Dad," Seth spoke up for the first time. "Give the guy a break. I think he's the one whose gonna be going to be having the hardest time here."

Ryan was thankful for Seth standing up for him. He wasn't sure how much more of Sandy's disappointment he could take until he started to cry.

Kirsten must have sensed his sadness because she also came to his rescue. "Ryan, don't worry about a thing, sweetie. You won't be here long. There's nothing to worry about. We'll find a witness and if we can't do that I'm sure the girl will confess."

Ryan knew she was just saying that to make him feel better. There wasn't even a stray cat on that street when he was taken in. His only chance of getting out was Theresa. He just hoped that she still loved him enough to tell the truth. But after getting her pregnant and not sending any letters or even calling once in a while after he left he wasn't too clear on any bitter feelings that might be there. He knew that if he was in her shoes he'd be holding a grudge for a very long time with him. Fuck, he though to himself, there's no chance she's gonna confess.

A loud bell signaled the end of his time with the Cohen's. As he stood up to leave Kirsten ran over to him to give him one more hug and as she got closer it was very visible that she was trying to hide her tears. Sandy also came over and gave him a hug. Once Sandy let go Seth came over and bumped knuckles with Ryan.

"I'll see you soon, man. As soon as you get home you are gonna be up for the ass kicking of a lifetime. I got a new game and, man, am I good." With that the guard took Ryan by the elbow after putting the handcuffs back on and started leading him back to his cold, ugly cell.

"Don't worry Ryan. You'll be out in no time." Sandy called out just as Ryan turned the corner.

Once Kirsten, Sandy, and Seth got outside Kirsten broke down and started weeping onto Sandy's shoulder.

"What are we going to do Sandy? We need to get him out of there. I can't stand seeing him in there. Did you see the look in his eyes? It was like there was absolutely no life left. We have to get him out." Kirsten's voice was shaky because of the sobs.

"Don't worry. He'll be out soon enough. I just need a chance to talk to that girl. And we didn't get enough time with Ryan. I can't start working on his case until I have the full story. I'm going to see if I can go in early tomorrow so I can get a longer chance to hear the full story from Ryan's side. Then I'll go to the girl. See if she'll confess." Sandy sounded confident in his plan. Even if he wasn't so sure it would work he needed to be strong for his wife and son.

"I want to go with you," Seth spoke up as he climbed into the backseat of the BMW.

"Absolutely not, Seth. There is no way you are going to set a foot in that place unless you have to," Kirsten was back to being the strong mother figure again.

"So are you trying to tell me I can't visit him at all? That's bullshit!" Seth didn't realize he was yelling until both his parents swiveled around to look at him.

"Don't speak to your mother like that, Seth." Sandy barked to his son as he turned around again and continued to drive.

"Sorry," Seth murmured so quietly you could barely hear it. He didn't understand why these things kept happening to Ryan. He'd already been through way too much and now to top it all off he was being sentenced for dealing drugs.

"Honey, I don't mean you can't visit him. I just want to wait until there isn't as much stress. I just want you to wait until we have a better idea of what's going to happen and what we're doing. Okay?" Kirsten said in a gentle voice trying to take control over the situation.

"Yeah, okay. How long I he going to be in there?" Seth directed this question at his father.

"If the girl doesn't confess he'll be in there for a minimum of 10 months. If she does confess, we'll be free to take him home." Sandy prayed to God that the girl would confess. He knew Ryan would able to handle jail... he wasn't so sure about the rest of his family though.

Ryan sat with his head in his hands. For the past hour thoughts had been swirling around in his head. Why was he still here? Wouldn't Theresa have told the officers he wasn't involved in this yet? Were the Cohen's mad? What the fuck was that red stain on the wall next to his bed? As an officer passed making sure all the inmates were in their cells for the night he decided he'd try to find out.

"Officer," Ryan called. "Could I ask you something?"

"Make it quick. I have things to do."

Ryan scoffed. His cell was near the end so the officer only had about 2 more cells to check. Once he was finished he'd be able to go home, be with his family.

"That girl you brought in with me. Has she said anything yet?" Ryan hoped it was something good.

"She just said were trying to sell her drugs after you beat her a few times. Your gonna be in here for the long haul, punk. You gave her a couple of nasty bruises."

What the fuck, Ryan thought. "What are you saying? She was an old friend I was trying to help her out. I wa..."

"I don't care. I'm not a lawyer. Save the story for the people that actually care. But let me tell you this," the officer leaned in closer to the bars causing Ryan to lean back. "If I have anything to say about this," the officer sneered making Ryan want to hit him, "your gonna be in here for a veerrrryyyy long time."

The officer started to walk away making Ryan want to cry. He was in way over his head. "Wait!" he called out to the officer's retreating back. "Is she still in here?"

"Of course. She's being charged for prostitution as I'm sure you already know." With that he turned around and the lights were switched off leaving Ryan in the pitch black.

How could Theresa do this to him? They had grown up together. They had been best friends for the first 16 years of their lives. If the judge believed what she said then Ryan knew he'd be in here for a much longer time then he thought. With that as his last thought of the night he fell asleep dreaming about being trapped in a cage forever and never seeing the sun shine through the pool house windows again.

Thank you so much to all the people that reviewed, it really means a lot. Sorry if this chapter wasn't good but I felt like I should post something. Hope you like it! And please remember to review!


	5. a turn for the worse

Thanks for any reviews. I don't have time to reply to all of them individually so I want you to know I've read them all and they mean a lot to me.

Don't worry. Trey is still going to be in this story. Just a little later. And if any of you guys have suggestions on where you want this story to go let me know and I'll defiantly think about putting it into the story!

Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the OC

Ryan's morning had been miserable. He had been woken up at 7:00 in the morning after barely getting an hours rest the previous night. He had spent the night tossing and turning feeling more betrayed then he'd ever felt in his life. He wanted nothing more then to go back to the Cohen's home. _His_ home. They were his family and that was his home. When he had been eating his morning meal of something grey and lumpy that tasted like cardboard and a sour box of milk one of the guards had told him that sandy would be meeting him at the adult jail he was being transferred to. Shit. He had forgotten about that. This was not the news he had been hoping for when he had woken up. He had been hoping that Theresa would have confessed and it was all a dream that he was being held here for something he didn't even do. He knew sandy would do everything in his power to get him out but even Sandy wouldn't be able to get the judge to change their mind if they decided to send him to jail.

As Ryan sat on his bunk waiting for one of the guards to come to take him up to the van that would be taking him to the other jail he thought about how much he had screwed up his life. All too soon Ryan could hear the shuffling of feet down the hallway and soon enough Officer Haddix appeared at the door. Officer Haddix was one of the nicest guards in the jail and personally he was Ryan's favorite. He was glad that he was the one that would be escorting him to the other jail.

"All set, kid?" Haddix asked Ryan gently sliding open the bars. When Haddix called Ryan kid it sent a million different feelings through him. First he felt anger at being referred to as a kid. If he was a kid why was he being sent to an adult jail? Next it was guilt. He shouldn't be having bad thoughts about the only guard in this place that seemed like they cared about him. But the biggest feeling Ryan felt was sorrow. Sandy called him kid. And having the guard call him that made him miss the Cohen's and his home in Newport so much that his heart actually ached. He felt his throat getting tighter and he knew that if he wasn't careful he would cry. He was fucking 18 years old. He shouldn't cry over stupid things like this.

Get a grip Ryan, he thought to himself.

The guard looked at him with concern in his eyes. "You okay?" he asked.

It was then that Ryan remembered he had asked him a question. "Oh, uh sorry what did you say?" he shook his head as if trying to clear his jumbled mind and focus on the question being asked,

"I just wanted to know if you were ready to go," the guard eyed him suspiciously. "You sure you're okay, kid?"

Ryan closed his eyes and nodded trying to force the image of the Cohen's out of his mind. If he wanted to make this easier for himself he had to make himself forget the Cohen's. Not that he could ever completely forget them. Not after they'd done so much for him. But he defiantly had to move on. The jail he was being transferred to would be considered his home until he found out how long he'd be staying there. Might as well get used to it.

Unlike most other guards, Haddix let Ryan stand up by himself without jumping forward, clasping on the handcuffs, and leading him by his elbow. Haddix waited for Ryan to stick out his wrists and as he fastened them onto the blonde boy's arms he gave him an apologetic look. Ryan didn't want this guy's sympathy. He just wanted to go home. Ryan let the guard lead him out of his cell.

"K, you're going to need to go get your stuff. You can just stay in the jumpsuit you have on now. There's no point in changing more then you need to. Once we get you to the other jail you'll have to change again and there's a standard procedure that you'll have to go through. It won't be the full thing though since you've already done part of it here but we'll still need to fill out some paperwork. I'll wait right out here. Call me when you're done collecting your stuff. It should be on the shelf next to the door. Just let me know when you're done."

Ryan was thankful the guard wasn't going to come with him while he got his stuff together. As he walked in he noticed a filing cabinet right next to the shelf where all the inmates' street clothes and possessions brought in was kept.

Ryan's curiosity got the best of him and before he knew it he was on his knees rushing through the A's in the filing cabinet. When he came to Atwood, Ryan he stopped and pulled it out. If he wanted to see it he'd have to be quick. He opened up the brown folder and started grazing through the words. There were hospital records, pictures of some of his injuries he'd had, information on the Cohen's and the whereabouts of his real family back in Chino. As he scanned over the information he already knew (what jail his dad was in, his uncle being kept at an old age home in Missouri) he stopped at some unknown stuff.

_Thursday, March 28, 2006_

_Atwood, Dawn_

_The last person to have seen Dawn Atwood was Robert Nicholson of Fresno, California on the 18th of March 2006. The last job recorded of Ms. Atwood was a job waitressing at a local Denny's. Since then her whereabouts have yet to be known. _

Ryan quickly scanned over that last letter. It was no surprise that they couldn't find her. She did this sometimes. She'd disappear for months at a time and then return and act as if nothing happened. Just as he was about to close the folder a second letter dropped out and landed next to Ryan's feet. Haddix knocked on the door and Ryan hastily put the folder back while stuffing the second letter into his socks. He would read it once he got to the jail. Once he was in his cell with no one to bother him he'd read it.

"K, buddy. Let's go. We're gonna be late," Haddix said as he opened the door. He eyed Ryan on the floor suspiciously. "Something the matter?"

"Um, no. I just dropped my wallet. I got it though. I'm ready," Ryan replied by holding up his wallet to show to the guard.

Haddix seemed to believe him as he nodded his head and waved his hand at the door. "Let's go then."

Ryan followed him outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. Even though he'd only been in there for a day and a half he had missed the smell of fresh flowers growing and the smell of dewy grass. He climbed into the van and waited for it to start up. He was not looking forward to his first time in an actual jail.

Ryan was relieved when he sat down on his bunk in the new jail. He looked around. It was a lot dirtier then juvie was. It was also a lot louder with the sound of yelling and cursing ringing through the halls causing an echo of swear words and insults. The examination Ryan had had to go through before he was admitted to his cell had been torture. It had seemed to go on forever and it had not been pleasant. But it was over now and he was going to try and forget that as soon as he could. When he had changed into his new blue jumpsuit he had put the letter in his new socks. He felt it now chafing his ankle and he decided now was as good a time as any to read it. He took it out after glancing down the halls to make sure no one was looking. He knew how much trouble he could be in if he was found with something in his cell. Ryan noticed that the date on this letter was very recent. Just last week it was written.

_Tuesday, April 2, 2006_

_Falling victim to a fatal car crash Dawn Atwood is pronounced dead after being rushed to the Chino Hospital after colliding with another vehicle. The other driver got out with a fractured collarbone but Ms. Atwood's car took the full blow. Dawn was found to be driving under the influence and going over the speed limit at a busy intersection. Her memorial will be held on April 20th for anybody who wishes to attend. The mother of two and a loving wife she will be greatly missed by many._

Ryan didn't realize he was crying until he wasn't able to read the letter anymore because his tears had smudged the writing so much. He was sad but more then anything he was pissed off. Why the fuck was she driving drunk? Was she honestly that stupid? Not only did she take her own life, she could have killed an innocent person. He was mad at her for not trying to stop her drinking. He knew it was hard for her but she has a responsibility.

_Had _a responsibility, Ryan though to himself.

This week was just getting worse and worse. Not only had he just lost his real mom, he had a feeling he'd be in here for a while. And that meant that basically, he had just lost two families. Ryan didn't want to be labeled as a pussy on his first night here so instead of crying openly he forced himself to stop, laid down on his bed, and cried himself to sleep facing the wall. Even if she had been a shitty mom he still loved her. And he was going to miss her more then he thought possible.

I'll update as soon as I can. This story is completely different then what I thought it would be. If you guys still want Trey in this story let me know because I have an idea of how to bring him into the story but I don't know if I should. So review and let me know…..thanks!


	6. sorry!

I'm kind of having a hard time thinking of something to write for the next chapter so sorry that nothing new is being posted. But don't worry. I PROMISE I'll get something up by the end of this weekend. So only 2 days at the most and there will be something up. Sorry for the delay.

Xox

Chinoryan


	7. a change of heart

Hope you like it! Oh, and I know Dawn isn't mentioned a lot in the chapter but remember that Ryan wasn't supposed to have found out. But it will most defiantly be coming up soon. And same goes for Theresa. I just couldn't find an area to squeeze her in. Next chapter the whole Theresa/ Ryan/ drug thing will be worked out. Hopefully. Theresa may or may not confess. You'll have to wait and see! I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. Okay, enough of this. Read on! Sorry, one more thing. Seth will also be in the next chapter. The next one is going to be a lot longer so a lot more stuff will be covered.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the OC

Ryan came back from their first time out in the kennel with two black eyes and a busted lip. The area where the inmates got to spend an hour each day had been dubbed the kennel because of the vast number of fights that had broken out there. It was like a recess, only the kids were big, hairy, and incredibly violent. They also seemed to have made it a mission of theirs to make Ryan more miserable then he thought possible for any human being. The prisoner in the next cell over had heard his sobs the previous night and this morning at their _recess_ he had told some of his friends about it. His friends had happened to be some of the biggest and toughest guys in the jail.

The Atwood luck, Ryan had thought.

Ryan even had a new nickname now. One of the guys had thought it'd be funny to call him Little Mama's Boy. It made him cringe inside every time someone yelled it at him. It just reminded him even more of the death of his mom. Since he was one of the youngest in the prison at the moment he was the one who got picked on the most. It was like he was the scrawny kid in the playground and all the other guys were the big kids who wanted his lunch money. In other words, he was Seth, and the other inmates were like Luke and his cronies.

Seth. He had to stop thinking about the Cohen's so much. Just last night he had dreamt that he was back in the pool house waiting to be called into dinner. If he kept thinking about them like this he'd never be able to accept the fact that he probably wouldn't be seeing them for quite some time. Sure, he'd see Sandy when he came to talk with him about his case. But he wouldn't see Kirsten or Seth anytime soon. And even when Sandy was here it was strictly business. It was as if Sandy had completely forgotten the past 3 years that he had lived under his roof and acted like another son. Now it was as if he was just another client. He knew it wasn't because Sandy was mad at him. Ryan was pretty sure Sandy didn't want to forget him either. It might just be because he was stressed out from working so much on this case. But Ryan would never know. Even if he got back and lived with the Cohen's again he would never have to courage to talk openly about his feelings. He wouldn't ask why Sandy barely acknowledged his presence at the meetings they had arranged. He wouldn't ask why Seth wasn't _demanding_ to visit him more. He had thought they were best friends. Brothers even. He knew that if Seth were the one in his position he'd be sneaking out every day to go visit him. He'd been in here 11 days now and the only time he had seen Seth was that first night when the three of them had come.

Kirsten had come two other times. She hadn't said much though. She just told him she loved him and that they all missed him at home. He doubted that.

This was good though. It would just make it easier for him to move on from that part of his life. They were doing the work for him. By having _them _separate_ him_ from their lives it made it easier. Of course it hurt to know that they could forget about him just like that but at least he wouldn't have to work as hard to leave that part of his life behind.

He sighed. He knew it was selfish but he couldn't help but wish that he was the one that would be moving on first.

"Atwood. Your lawyer's here," one of the guards yelled to Ryan from down the hall making him stand up and wait to be let out. He felt like a dog waiting for its owner to come and take it out for a walk. He hated this feeling. The feeling that he was no longer a person but a possession. He dint have control over his own life anymore.

The guard came to his cell, opened the door and put the handcuffs around his wrists. As Ryan was being led down the hall he heard all the insults and cat calls being thrown at him. Some of the things being yelled would haunt him for the next few nights.

He entered the meeting area and found Sandy buried behind a pile of files.

"Sit down, Ryan," Sandy ordered. This is what it had been like for the past 11 days. Sandy ordering him around without as much as a single glance in his direction.

Ryan sat down and waited for Sandy to start questioning him.

"Okay, let's get started." For the first time Sandy looked up from the papers. He didn't even take a second glance at Ryan's black eyes and lip. It was like he didn't even care. He lifted up a stack and patted it against the table making it lie in a neat and tidy pile. "Seeing as this is the first time I've actually gotten to speak face to face with you for more then 2 minutes I still need to know who this girl was. All the other times we've been filling out paperwork. Now we can get down to the details." Sandy leaned forward and placed his chin on top of his folded hands.

"Uh, okay. Where should I start from?" Ryan was nervous. He hadn't been nervous around Sandy since the first time they had met.

"Just start from when you left my house." That hurt Ryan more then Sandy could know. Having him call it _his _house instead of _ours. _It was as if the past 3 years had simply disappeared from his memory.

"I was upset and I needed to get away for a while. I was going to go visit my brother in jail. But on the way there I noticed a person on the street. It looked sort of like someone I knew but I wasn't sure so I decided to go closer and check it out. It was Theresa. And I asked her to stop doing what she was doing and then the cops came," Ryan answered Sandy's question in a monotone voice.

"You expect me to work with that? Come on, Ryan. I need good details. Not the just an outline of the story. I already know that. I need your side of the story. And I want the truth." He sounded as if he didn't believe what Ryan had just told him.

"I am telling the truth. But maybe if you could ask the questions and have me answer them it'd be easier."

"Okay. Uh, did you know that Theresa had the drugs on her?" Ryan could detect a hint of accusation in his ex-guardian's voice.

"Of course not," Ryan replied instantly.

"Has Theresa been known to be involved in the dealing of drugs in the past?" Once again Ryan could sense the accusatory tone in Sandy's voice.

"Maybe the occasional joint or two but never anything as hard core as cocaine. Never."

Sandy nodded his head. "And what about you?"

Ryan couldn't believe it. "You're kidding me right? I thought you knew me! You had 3 fucking years to get to know me and you still treat me as if I'm some drug dealer you found off the street. Of course not! I can't believe you even had to ask that. What happened to these past 3 years? Huh? Did they mean nothing to you guys? Was I just some experiment? Cuz honestly, Sandy, right now I'm getting the impression that I didn't mean anything to you." Ryan was surprised. He didn't think he'd blow up at Sandy like that. But that last question had really gotten to him. When Sandy had said those words he had seen in his eyes that he had always believed Ryan was at one point involved in something like that.

"First of all, don't raise your voice at me in here. Yelling is not allowed here. And I would advise you not to yell at your lawyer again."

That comment brought tears to Ryan's eyes. Sandy had called himself Ryan's _lawyer_. Not his father. Not even his guardian. His _lawyer_.

This was too hard for Ryan. He couldn't handle seeing Sandy if he was going to act as if the past 3 years hadn't happened.

"I want a new lawyer." Those words made Sandy stop what he was doing and stare slack jawed at Ryan.

"Excuse me?"

"I want a new lawyer. I don't want you as my lawyer anymore." Ryan had made up his mind. Sandy was the only thing joining him to the Cohen's now. By cutting out Sandy he wouldn't have to worry about thinking about them all the time.

"Ryan, no you don't. You're just mad." Sandy's tone made Ryan want to hit him. He was acting as if Ryan was some stupid 3 year old that had just said some ludicrous idea or comment.

"You're right. I am mad. And I'm also not changing my mind about this. If you don't find me another lawyer that's fine. I'll just have one assigned to me by the state."

"You do know those lawyers aren't nearly as good, don't you?" Once again with the demeaning tone. Ryan hated it. Sandy was really starting to piss him off.

"You know what? Fuck you, Sandy. I don't need you and I don't need your family. I'm officially out of your lives. Get out of here now before you make me do something I'll regret."

Ryan knew he'd never do anything to hurt Sandy. And yeah he was pissed off and angry with him, but that wasn't the only reason he was doing this. Like he had said before, Sandy was the only thing tying him to the Cohen's family and by cutting off the last tie he'd be free to go and do what he wanted.

"I hope you reconsider this, Ryan. You know you're always going to be considered a part of my family." With this last goodbye Sandy collected his papers and walked out the door. He looked back once or twice but both times Ryan had his face down in his arms and Sandy swore he saw the boy's body heaving up and down as if he was crying.

"Sandy, honey, whets wrong?" As soon as Sandy had gotten home from the Chino Penitentiary he had gone straight into his office and not come out since.

"I screwed up Kirsten. I think I just lost Ryan. For good." When Sandy took his head out of his hands Kirsten noticed how tired he looked. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions. He was a mess.

"What happened?" She placed a hand on his forearm in a comforting gesture.

"You know how we talked about how we should focus more on the case so he could come home sooner?" Kirsten nodded. "Huge mistake. He took that as a sign that we didn't care about him anymore. I was trying to distance myself from him for awhile so I would have more focus on getting him out." Sandy sighed. "He's asked for a new lawyer. I don't think he'll want to see me again." His head was back in his hands.

"Well, try talking him out of it."

"No, you should have seen him. He was very adamant that I wouldn't be his lawyer anymore. I can't believe I was that stupid. He needed us to support him more then anything. It would have made his stay so much easier if he knew that he had people who were missing him and loved him at home."

"Don't worry, Sandy. Seth and I will go see him in the morning. We haven't been nearly enough and I'm sure Seth will be happy to visit him. But I want you to continue working on his case, okay? If Seth and I manage to talk him into letting you be his lawyer again, I don't want to be behind at all. I want him out of there soon but we can't forget that he's going to need support and love."

"Thank you, Kirsten. I just hope you can convince him that I thought I was doing the right thing."

"I'll try my very best, Sandy," she said as she started to walk towards the big oak doors.

"And Kirsten?"

She turned around.

"Tell him that I love him and we're all missing him."

I couldn't decide where to end this story. I finally settled on ending this chapter on a happier note. I hope this chapter was okay, I wrote it kind of late at night. I was tired and very thirsty. Lol. I know this chapter didn't really have a lot in it but I wanted to explain more of what the characters were feeling. I also wanted to get the Cohen's in the story more. And don't worry; Ryan's trial will be coming p in the near future. Will he be proven innocent? Or sentenced to jail time? Not even I know yet. So if you have a preference let me know. I'll keep it in mind.

Don't forget to review!


	8. confusion

To whoever said this story is boring, just don't read it. I couldn't care less about your review. If you have something bad to say about my story then say it in a constructive way.

Thanks to everybody else who actually said something that would help my writing. Constructive criticism is the only thing I actually care about and it means a lot that you're taking the time to read my story. Thanks! And Ryan still isn't telling anyone about his mom. After a while it's going to come up. Soon actually.

I don't know what Theresa's last name is. I should but I don't. So in this story it's going to be Gonzales. Sounds Spanish to me so it will do.

"Theresa Gonzales. Come with me. You have a visitor." Theresa looked up surprised. Her mother would refuse to see her. She was extremely angry with Theresa for being arrested and Theresa doubted she'd ever earn her mothers forgiveness. It couldn't be her brother, Arturo. He was still in jail. If Ryan hadn't been in jail she might have expected him but he was in here. Thanks to her. She had to admit she felt a little guilty. But not guilty enough to take all the blame. Even if it was all her, the cops didn't know that.

She got up and put her hands behind her back waiting for the cold metal handcuffs to be strapped and locked around hr wrists. She hated the feeling. Whenever they were taken off, her wrists felt raw and they were always red. The cop led her outside by the elbow. She didn't know why they always led the prisoners by the elbow. Maybe it was easier to keep them from getting away.

When she got to the door of the visitors area and looked in she saw the very last person she thought she would ever see. There on a metal stool, looking completely out of place in his black Armani suit, was Sandy Cohen. The father figure of Ryan Atwood, who was in here because of her.

She nervously walked over to him once the cops had taken the cuffs off.

"Hello, Mr. Cohen. Um, what are you doing here?"

"I came to visit you. Try o talk some sense into you. I just want to warn you that if you don't tell the truth about Ryan's innocence, once we get him out of here, which we most defiantly will I might add, we're going to take you to court. I'll have absolutely no mercy for you. Not after you've let my son spend much too long in a place like this for something he didn't do. He was your friend. How could you do this to him?" Sandy leant forward trying to get the girl in front of him to focus on his face instead of her lap.

"I didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to sell drugs while sleeping with strangers and then tell the cops Ryan was involved in all of it?" Sandy asked with disbelief in his voice and an eyebrow raised in skepticism.

"No. I mean… I don't know. What I meant is that I never meant for him to come and find me. If he had just stayed where he belongs then none of this would be happening." Theresa finally looked up from the spot on her lap she had been focusing on since she sat down.

"So what you're saying is that it's Ryan's fault for trying to help out a friend in need." She could tell he was getting pissed off at her.

"All I'm saying is that maybe next time he should just stay out of Chino. Chino never did anything good to him. He's always hated it here. Why would he come back now?" Theresa really wanted to know. She had meant to ask Ryan but then the cops came and she didn't have time to ask.

"He came back because he needed an escape from the Newport drama I guess. He just had a rough breakup and he wanted to see someone who would always love him I think. I'm not sure who though. Maybe he came to see you. And let me tell you, you did not help him escape any drama at all."

Theresa ignored the last part. She knew she deserved it. "Why couldn't he talk to Seth? Even you or Mrs. Cohen?"

"Seth doesn't listen very well. Ryan needed someone to listen to_ him_ for a change. And do you honestly think he would come to me or my wife for something like this?" Sandy was determined to make this girl tell the truth. He hadn't been lying when he said he would take her to court if she didn't fess up.

"Oh. So is the only reason you came down here to threaten me and tell me how much I've screwed up Ryan's life or is there something more?" Theresa said with an edge to her voice. She had tried being polite and patient but she only had a limited number of minutes to be out of her cell per day(authors note- like free time out in the yard, and that sort of thing.) and it included visitors so she didn't want to waste her time with someone she didn't even want to talk to.

"Partly. If you tell the truth about Ryan not having anything to do with this, I'll be your lawyer. I'm good. I can get you out of here on two year probation. Ryan had that after he stole the car with his brother and the time flew by. I bet he forgot about it. This is your best chance. Take it."

Theresa thought about it for a minute. "How do I know you're not just going to up and leave as soon as I tell the truth?"

"Do I seem like the kind of person that would do that? If I say you have my word I mean it."

Theresa thought about it a little more before nodding her head. "He's always been there for me. I wouldn't want to lose him as a friend."

"Theresa, you have a long way to go before he'll want to be your friend again. After what you did to him? You betrayed him and he trusted you. I think we both know how hard it is to gain Ryan's trust."

Theresa snickered. She defiantly knew how hard it was to gain his trust. The more she thought about it the more she liked the idea. Maybe this way both she and Ryan could get out of here. If that was the case, she had no problem confessing. But if it wasn't and she would have to stay in here for a longer time there was no way. No matter how good of a friend Ryan had been to her.

"I don't know if I can trust you. I don't know you very well. I don't know if I should believe you when you say you can get me out of here."

Sandy started getting up. "Fine, I'm going to talk to the guard and ask if you can see Ryan. I doubt he wants to see you right now but if it helps his case I'm sure he will. I'm going to be right outside this door. I'll go see what I can do."

As Theresa waited for Sandy to return with Ryan she thought about her choices. She could confess and have Ryan as her friend again. She would also have a clear conscience again. Something she hadn't had since she and Ryan had been brought in. But then again Sandy was basically Ryan's father. He would probably do or say anything to get Ryan out of here. She hoped seeing Ryan would help her make up her mind.

After what seemed like only a very short amount of time Ryan walked in with a frown on his face. Sandy must be good, Theresa thought to herself, to get them to agree to let the two of them meet together after they were both brought in for dealing drugs together.

As he sat down on the stool opposite her she received the glare of a lifetime. She looked down saddened by the amount of rage in his eyes. And it was all aimed at her. Of course she had seen him mad before. She had seen him absolutely livid. But it was never before aimed at her. I guess I deserve this, she thought.

"What the hell do you want? Sandy said you wanted to talk to me. You going to accuse me of killing someone now to?" He said with such bitterness in his voice it took Theresa back.

"Ryan, I'm so sorry," Ryan snorted and rolled his eyes. "But I think I'm going to confess. Get you outta here."

"You think you're gonna confess." Ryan mimicked, once again rolling his eyes before leaning forward and making fierce eye contact like he had done when he had first met Sandy. "You didn't think about this when we were brought in? So it took you almost three weeks to decide, hey, he's innocent. Let's let him go. I hope you know that as soon as that cop car pulled up I was convinced that I was going to be fine. I thought maybe I'd call Sandy, get him to come out here and help you. But no. You watched me as I got pushed into that cop car. You_ watched_ me. Once I'm out of here your dead to me. You're gonna be completely out of my life."

Tears had formed in Theresa's eyes as soon as he said she was dead to him. She couldn't stand the silence as he finished his rant. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him as a friend. They had been there for each other since they were toddlers. They had seen the highs and lows of each others lives. She couldn't lose him as a friend.

"Ryan. I'm going to confess. I'm going to say that it was all me. Please. Just don't block me out of your life. After all those years together we can't let one little thing like this tear us apart. I'm so sorry," tears were now streaming down her pretty face forming red lines on her cheeks.

Ryan looked at her in disgust. "One little thing? Are you kidding me? This is going to be on my record for_ life_. This isn't going to be considered some little misunderstanding. If I even so little as get pulled over for speeding, when they run my license through the system this is going to come up. They're going to see that I've done time for _dealing drugs_ and I'm going to get a much bigger fine. Maybe even get asked to come in for questioning. Did you even think about how if this had happened only 3 weeks earlier, I would have been in here for a minimum of 3 years? With my probation, did you ever stop to think about that?"

Theresa gulped. She hadn't remembered. She knew how much trouble he'd be in if he had still had his probation. She now knew how much she'd fucked up. She could only thank God that it had happened when it had.

"I'm sorry. I forgot. But it doesn't even matter now. Once I fess up you'll be free to go. And Sandy said he could get me out on probation." His face was still hard. She didn't know what would break him. Make him forgive her. If not completely, at least enough to allow him to look at her without pure hatred in his eyes.

"Do you remember when we were little kids, maybe 5 or 6, and the people living across the street were throwing a baseball around? And one of them threw it too hard and it hit me in the face. I was crying so hard but then you came over. I didn't even know you yet but you still came over and tried to help me. I remember you ran and got my mom and told her I was hurt," she saw his face soften. "Or how about when I was just learning how to ride a bike. I fell off and landed in a rosebush and my skirt was stuck in the thorns. Once again you came to my rescue," her voice was choking up just thinking about what she would do if she lost her best friend. "You brought me a band aid and helped me clean the cut."

She started to smile. "And then you sang to me to stop me from crying. You had the best voice. I don't know why you stopped."

She could see he was trying to hide back a smile. "Because it was stupid. I was too old for that shit after a while."

"What I'm trying to say is we've been through so much together. I don't know what I would do if I lost you over something like this." She reached over to grab his hand and was happy to see him not try to pull it away.

"I'm sorry about what I said before. You'll never be dead to me. Never. And now that you're confessing and Sandy will get you out we can forget about this."

Her smile faltered a little as she remembered she had promised she was going to confess. She was nervous about that.

"You are going to confess right?" Ryan asked, noticing that her smile had faded when he brought up the subject.

She instantly put on another smile and said cheerfully, "Of course Ry. As long as I don't lose you, you know I'd do anything for you." And she would confess. But that didn't mean she wasn't scared to death of what was going to happen when she did.

Sandy walked into the room and when he saw the two of them holding hands he smiled. Hopefully this meant they had come to an agreement and Theresa would be confessing.

"Okay you two. Its time to head back to your cells," he could have slapped himself for saying that. They didn't need reminding that they were still in prison. "Uh, sorry. What I meant was its time to get going. Theresa, I told the guard you needed to talk to him. Ryan. I'll see you soon." He winked and then waked out into the hall.

Theresa started sweating. She needed more time to prepare. This had just sprung up on her. She had no clue what she was going to say. Why would Sandy have booked her time with the guard already? What if she said no to confessing? She looked over at Ryan who was looking back at her with a warm look in his eyes. Sandy had booked the time for her because he knew that she would confess, she realized. He knew what kind of a person she was and he knew that she wouldn't let her best friend stay in jail over something he didn't do.

The two of them got up and before leaving through their separate doors hugged each other goodbye.

"I'll see you around, Ry. I sorry for all this."

"Don't worry about it Theresa. Call me when you get out okay?"

She nodded and then walked out to the hall. The guard cuffed her and then took her to the questioning room.

"Mr. Cohen said you had something important you'd like to tell us. What might that be?" one of the guards asked Theresa leaning against the wall.

"Um, it's about why I'm here. And Ryan Atwood." She was so nervous that she had sweat forming on her forehead.

"Okay. And….."

She took a deep breath before she dove in. "He wasn't involved in it."

The guards stood up straighter and one of them walked closer towards her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he saw me and he came over to see if I was okay. We hadn't seen each other since last summer, and then when the cops came I sort of froze up and didn't say anything. And now I'm telling you. It was all me. He didn't even know about it until he was brought in."

"Uh-huh. And we're going to believe that because…."

"Because it's the truth. Ask Sandy Cohen. Ask Ryan. All our stories will match up because it's what really happened." Theresa was now desperate. She had told Ryan that she would confess and now when she was they didn't believe her?

"How are we supposed to know you're not just taking the bullet so he can go out and keep your business going steady while you're in here? Even if you are telling the truth there's no proof. There were no witnesses. All of the stores were empty so no clerks would have seen you. It was late at night. You two were the only ones out there. Ryan's going to be staying here until we have some proof that he wasn't involved in any of it."

Theresa sighed. This wasn't supposed to be how it went. They were supposed to believe her, let Ryan go, and then she'd get out with probation. That's what Sandy had said.

"Chris, take her back to her cell."

"No! You have to believe me! I swear to God he didn't have anything to do with this!" Theresa struggled against the guard desperate to convince them.

"Listen, there's nothing we can do. Maybe if you had said this a little bit earlier, like when you were first brought in, then we'd have an easier time believing you. But after three weeks? You've had more than enough time to confess."

"I was scared what would happen to me. But please, you have to trust me on this."

"No can do. I'll talk to Sandy Cohen and set a court date with the judge. You to still don't know how long you're going to in here for."

Theresa let herself be led away with silent tears coming down her face. When the guard uncuffed her and shut the door she walked over to her bed and sat down. What was she going to say to Ryan? It was her fault. If only she had said something earlier then he'd be out already. She broke down into tears as she thought about what he would think of her now. Making those cops believe her had been her only chance at getting Ryan out. Sure, Sandy was a good lawyer but he wasn't good enough to get a suspected guilty convict out of jail. Especially one with Ryan's history. She put her face in her hands and cried until her eyes began to droop closed and she fell into a world of darkness.

"Sandy! Did Theresa confess? When's Ryan coming home?" Kirsten was in Sandy's face the minute the door opened and he walked in. When she took a minute to look at him she noticed his somber expression for the first time. "What's wrong? Is Ryan okay?" she asked concern etched into her face.

"He's fine. For now. Theresa said she would confess," Kirsten's face broke into a huge grin. "But when she did the guards didn't believe her. They told me they need proof that Ryan didn't have anything to do with it before they'll let him go."

"They didn't believe her? Why the hell not?" Kirsten was yelling now. She was mad at Theresa and the guards and scared for Ryan all in one. She was having a roller coaster of emotions race through her.

"I'm sure they'll find something to show he's innocent. I just don't know when."

"Dad? Did you see Ryan?" Seth asked as he came down the stairs still in his pajamas. It was late at night and Sandy figured Seth had been waiting up all night for him to come home.

"Yes, I saw him."

"And…." Seth urged his eyes growing wide in anticipation.

"When Theresa confessed the guards didn't believe her. They want proof before they let Ryan go." Sandy sighed.

"Why would they want proof? If Theresa says he didn't do it isn't that good enough?" Seth was confused now, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked back and forth between his parents.

"Apparently, since it took so long for Theresa to come to her senses it wasn't so easy for them to believe her." Seth looked at his father in horror.

"How long's he going to be in there for then?"

"Seth, I don't know. I'm trying my hardest to get him out. But he's in there for a pretty serious offense even if he's innocent."

"Seth, sweetie. Don't worry about a thing. Ryan's going to come home soon. Before your back in school, Ryan will be back. I promise." Kirsten spoke up trying to convince herself as much as her son.

"Seth why don't you go upstairs. Your mother and I need to talk about some things."

For once Seth agreed with his dad and started walking upstairs without an argument.

Once he got upstairs he picked up his phone and started dialing Summer's number.

"What the fuck do you want?" she snapped after a few rings.

"Summer. It's me."

"Cohen! Why the hell are you calling me at 2:30 a.m! I've had a long day and I need my rest!"

"Sorry. It's just… its Ryan…"

Summer must have noticed the sadness in his voice because she immediately put on a sweeter tone. "Seth, what's wrong? What about Ryan?"

Seth sighed. "He's in jail."

Summer gasped. "What'd he do?"

"Well, he didn't do anything really. But he's been accused of dealing 6 ounces of cocaine with Theresa. Oh right. When they found Theresa she was selling herself off for sex with complete strangers. The cops probably thought Ryan was her pimp or something crazy."

Summer chuckled. "I don't really see Chino as the _pimp_ type." She then put on a serious tone. "But if he didn't do it why's he in jail?"

"Theresa only decided to confess today. Three weeks after they were arrested. They probably find it hard to believe her now."

"Wait. Ryan's been in jail for three weeks and you didn't think of telling me? Cohen. I'm your girlfriend. I'm here to listen to you when you have problems."

"Well you didn't exactly notice he was gone. I didn't think he'd want people to know and I also thought he'd be out soon. So I just sort of kept it to myself."

"So how longs he gonna be in lock up for?"

"Dad told me he's set a court date for him on the 11th."

"That's only a week away though. Is that enough time to prepare for something like this?" Summer asked.

"Dad's been working on this since he found out Ryan was arrested. I guess he thought he should get a head start. Just in case I guess."

"Yeah…." Summer was silent for a while. "Seth, I'm here for you okay?"

"Thanks Summer."

"Don't worry Seth. I'm sure he'll be out in no time."

Seth just sighed. "Summer. Don't tell Marissa."

"Why not?" Summer asked with confusion in her voice.

"I just don't want everyone to know about this. I know Ryan wouldn't want to come back with all of Newport knowing he spent his vacation in a jail cell."

"Your secrets are with me Cohen. Or Chino's secret I guess."

"Thanks. And when he comes back don't act weird around him. Like, don't ask him how he's doing and all that. He's going to get more then enough of that from my parents."

"Okay, Seth. Don't worry."

"I got to go Summer. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you"

"Love you to." With that said Seth hung up the phone and waked back downstairs to see if he could catch the tail end of his parents' conversation. As he got to the middle of the stairs that was right behind a pillar, where he usually went when he was eavesdropping, he heard his mothers choked up voice.

"So, he can be in there for up to 4 years if we don't get him out on his court date?" Seth could tell his mother was sobbing. Her voice was unusually high and you could hear her sobs from where Seth was sitting.

"I'm afraid so. I'm not going to be home for a while. I need to come up with some proof that he's innocent. I have no idea what I'm going to do though. That street was deserted when they were arrested."

"Oh Sandy. Why Ryan?" Seth could see his mother bury her head into his dads shoulder as her body started to heave up and down.

"I don't know honey. I don't know." Sandy wrapped his arms around his wife's shaking body and held her close.

Seth couldn't take this anymore. He ran upstairs and jumped face down on his bed. He couldn't keep the tears from leaking out and pouring down his face. Ryan could spend 5 years in a horrible jail cell for something he didn't even do. That was the most unfair thing Seth had ever heard. He only prayed that his dad would be able to find something to get Ryan out.

Next chapter will sandy be able to prove Ryan innocent? Or will be confined to a jail cell for the next 5 years? Read to find out. And once again Trey will be in this story. Jus not yet. But soon. Don't worry.

Don't forget to review! It makes me write faster. And sorry it took me so long to update this chapter. I wasn't in the mood to writ this weekend. I know this chapter doesn't have a lot but I want the plot to move forward and the only way to get that done was to have a chapter sort of dedicated to setting the story straight. Thanks for reading!

Review!


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